Ansgar Clüsserath Trittenheimer Apotheke Auslese is grown on Apotheke, Trittenheim’s finest individual vineyard site. It lies on the right bank of the Mosel, opposite the village of Trittenheim. ‘Apotheke’ literally means ‘pharmacy’ but the vineyard’s name doesn’t refer to the medicinal properties of its wines. It in fact derives from a foundation established by the “Abtsberg” Abbey of Trier. With its extreme slope of up to 78%, Apotheke ranks among the top sites on the Mosel. The southwest-facing hillside benefits from direct sunlight well into late evening, a lengthy time during which the slate soils store heat, which extends the ripening period. Weathered slate slopes with subterranean water veins ensure an optimal supply of nutrients and allow the vines to develop deep roots. Single-stake training is practiced in the family’s oldest parcels in this site, which comprise 60- to 80-year-old vines. The grapes yield wines with great aging potential and complex minerality. In their youth, the wines show finesse; as they mature, they display rich fruitiness reminiscent of apricot and peach.
The handpicked grapes are gently pressed and then fermented with indigenous yeasts in traditional Mosel Fuder barrels. The wine is left on lees till May.
The Apotheke Auslese is a traditional dessert wine. The almost creamy texture and ripe fruit flavours on the palate are balanced with a complex slaty minerality and marked acidity in its youth. The sophisticated interplay of sweetness and acidity is enhanced with ripe, concentrated notes of exotic fruits, blackberry and fine herbs.